EMERGING RESEARCH FOR A BETTER WORLD TAKING OUT THE TRASH Targeting space junk with world-leading AI BLUE CARBON Recruiting one of the great natural allies against climate change MENINGOCOCCAL B The verdict’s in from the world’s largest study on herd immunity stepping up on the global stage Established in 1874, the University of Adelaide is renowned as one of Australia’s premier ‘Group of Eight’ universities, and among the most respected research institutions in the world. Our reputation for excellence is founded on a rich history of achievement—we’re associated with four Nobel Prize-winning researchers— and strengthened by elite, contemporary talent. In the 2019 Clarivate world Highly Cited Researchers list, 12 of our academics were recognised for the scale of their global influence—two in multiple fields. And in each of the past two years, we’ve had a young researcher recognised in MIT Technology Review’s prestigious Innovators Under 35 list*. In 2020, we were the only Australian university represented; in 2019 we were one of just two. adelaide.edu.au/research *Asia Pacific region. taking on covid-19 We’re doing everything in our ANAESTHETIC HOUSING PROGRAMMERS’ ECONOMIC power to help reduce COVID- PROCEDURES POLICY WELLBEING IMPACT 19’s global impact, and enhance Led international Leading national studies Co-led international Economic Briefing physical, social and economic collaboration of COVID-19’s impact collaboration Report on long-term recovery. This page highlights establishing best-practice on renting in Australia, establishing COVID-19’s economic impact of, many of the pandemic-related anaesthetic procedures and modelling potential impact on software dev- and recovery from, the for COVID-19 patients.1 national housing elopers’ productivity and pandemic. Delivered research projects we have policy responses to wellbeing, and advising to Government of been, or are still, involved in. the pandemic.2 harm-minimisation South Australia.4 measures.3 contents 2 Space dejunked 22 Driving surrogacy reform 4 Finding fertile ground in orbit 23 An ancient language lives on 5 Extraterrestrial fibre, 24 Giving voice to a dark past extraordinary performance 25 Mitigating climate migration 6 Lightening a heavy footprint 26 Targeting taint 8 Atomic answers in the aquifer 28 Vines’ smart-tech lifeline 9 In pursuit of net zero 6 29 Future-proofing almonds 9 Situation critical 12 Cerebral palsy’s gene team 29 More cream for Indonesian 10 Meningococcal milestone dairy farmers 13 Fat blocked, metastasis stopped 12 Protecting the public purse 14 Technology supporting endometriosis sufferers 15 Doctorates of distinction 26 16 Blue is the new green 18 Optimising the flow 19 Averting disaster 20 The bones are talking 2 21 Healthier at home DISCLAIMER: The information in this publication is current as at the date of printing and is subject to change. You can find updated information on our website at adelaide.edu.au. The University of Adelaide assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of information provided by third parties. © The University of Adelaide. Published October 2020. Job no. 6278. CRICOS 00123M 1 Thiru, V et al 2020, Anesthesia & Analgesia, vol 131, issue 3, p 677-689, doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000005043 2 Baker, E 2020, Renting in the time of COVID-19: understanding the impacts, and Leishman, C 2020, Supporting Australia’s housing system: modelling pandemic policy responses, both SNIFFER TRACING-APP BURNOUT IMMUNITY commissioned by the Australian Housing DOGS SAFETY RISK PHENOTYPING and Urban Research Institute. 3 Baltes, S et al 2020, submitted to Empirical International Assessed 34 of the world’s Led international Collaborative long-term Software Engineering. 4 South Australian collaboration to train COVID-19 contact tracing collaboration investigating study of recovering Centre for Economic Studies, 2020. and test COVID-19 sniffer apps for security and working adults’ likelihood COVID-19 patients 5 Led by National Veterinary School, dogs to detect infection, privacy vulnerabilities, of burnout during the to inform vaccine Alfort (France). 6 arXiv:2006.10933 even in pre-symptomatic and informed all stake- pandemic, based on development and public 7 Zhang, S et al 2020, Psychiatry and asymptomatic holders of findings to their proximity to the health management.8 Research, Jun;288:112998 doi: 10.1016/j. individuals.5 inform updates.6 outbreak’s epicentre psychres.2020.112998 8 In partnership in Wuhan, China.7 with the Royal Adelaide Hospital. DEFENCE, CYBER & SPACE dejunked space guiding algorithms is just a matter of Gazing up at a starry sky, it’s easy to imagine capturing it from human-driven cars. space as impossibly pristine—a vast, empty “But we can’t do the equivalent in space, because satellites are just too blackness interrupted only by sparkling expensive to develop and put into orbit. It’s an incredible challenge, celestial bodies. The reality, around our and one we’re excited to meet.” planet at least, is quite a bit messier. Since their ESA win, Chin and his team have been awarded significant federal funding to expand their Human-made debris, or ‘space junk’, the position and orientation, or research, through Australia’s orbits us in staggering quantities; ‘pose’, of space objects relative to an SmartSat Cooperative Research there are currently around 23,000 approaching craft—an essential step Centre (CRC). Collaborating pieces larger than 10cm across, and to enable debris collection. Led by with research partners Inovor an estimated half a million smaller Professor Tat-Jun Chin, the group’s Technologies, along with scientists than that. success in the field was highlighted in from the University of Queensland Moving at speeds exceeding 35,000 2019, when it won the European Space and Australian National University, kilometres per hour, all are capable Agency’s (ESA) global Pose Estimation they’re playing a leading role in the of causing serious damage to working Challenge, outperforming nearly 50 CRC’s overarching efforts to enhance satellites and other important of the world’s leading universities and space situational awareness— equipment. In 2009, for example, space technology companies. identified by the Australian Space an active US communications According to Chin, although the Agency as an industry priority. satellite was obliterated after scientific ‘tools’ he and his colleagues Their focus, however, is not limited colliding with an inactive Russian are working with are familiar, to pose estimation alone. “We’re counterpart. Three years earlier, a applying them to work in space also working on enhancing robotic tiny fragment chipped a window on presents unique difficulties. manipulation equipment to perfect the International Space Station. “Establishing the exact position of the task of actually collecting space Understandably, identifying space an object relative to another using junk once its position and orientation junk and mitigating the risks it computer vision and machine learning, are identified,” adds Chin. poses—by collecting or destroying or artificial intelligence (AI), is a task “We’ve built a robotic arm that we it—is a global priority. And some that researchers have been tackling can ‘train’ to acquire the debris. The of the world’s most advanced work for many years,” he says. next step is to work with a partner in the area is taking place at the “It requires algorithms informed organisation to jointly take testing University of Adelaide. by huge amounts of data, which and development to the next level.” The University’s team was among the is relatively easily done for many first internationally to effectively apply terrestrial tasks. I often use the Right: Professor Tat-Jun Chin (right) and computer vision and machine learning example of autonomous cars; getting Mr Dan Lawrence, student in computer principles to accurately estimate the data needed to inform their science (advanced). 2 | in sight KEY ACHIEVEMENTS University of Adelaide AI technology, based on computer vision and machine learning, leads the world in space junk pose estimation. The University’s researchers are overcoming unique challenges to successfully develop AI for space applications. The group’s work now also includes developing robotic manipulation technology to acquire space debris once located. in sight | 3 finding DEFENCE, CYBER & SPACE The University of Adelaide is leading research into a new plasma-based, space-ready fertile process for the production of ground agricultural fertiliser. The streamlined process could help make it possible for space in orbit travellers to grow their own food. The resultant fertiliser can also be tailored to suit local conditions —also enhancing terrestrial farmers’ self-sufficiency. intensification in small molecules In-space conversion, the project represents a PROFESSOR significant advance over traditional VOLKER HESSEL manufacturing’s ammonia production methods. Project leader “We’re generating the targeted creation potential has of unstable molecules or atoms during the whole reactions between plasma—a gas-like substance, consisting of particles such “Unlike existing large-scale fertiliser world talking. as positive ions and electrons—and production plants,” Hessel adds, “this proprietary catalysts,” says project technology will enable the creation of With the University of Adelaide’s leader Professor Volker Hessel. production facilities small enough to fit on the back of a truck. Farms—or assistance, optical fibre production has “These plasma-chemical reactions already taken the